US Representative Rob Woodall (R – Adairsville, GA) and karma

He worked very, very hard to keep victims of Hurricane Sandy from getting Federal aid last year. Here’s how he justified his effort:

“This week, the House had the tough job of appropriating disaster relief funds to the states affected to the point of devastation by Hurricane Sandy. I absolutely believe we should help our neighbors in their time of need. That said, we almost always serve one another better locally than we do with a check from Washington DC. America’s generosity during natural disasters by giving to the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, and more, is unmatched. In those rare instances of such widespread devastation that Federal aid is required, we must provide that aid by reducing spending on other lower priorities, not by running up the debt burden on future generations. This is why I supported measures to ensure that any emergency funding was fully offset by other spending cuts. These offset measures did not pass the House, unfortunately, and instead, the total package of Sandy relief legislation grew nearly three-fold–from $17 billion to over $60 billion in new deficit spending– and was passed over my objection.”

So today Adairsville, GA, the Representative’s home town, was hit by a deadly tornado along with many other parts of the state. Much of the region was devastated, similar to how New York and New Jersey were devastated by Sandy.

I trust that Representative Woodall will apply the same principles to this tragedy. From Sarah Jones in politicsusa.com:

Woodall is correct that Americans pull together at times like this; and red or blue, our thoughts are with those suffering. I’m sure the victims of Sandy don’t begrudge Woodall’s district getting the help they might need from the Federal government in a timely manner. If only Sandy victims had been treated in the same way by the many House Republicans who opposed Sandy aid.